Fuchsia pottings and cuttings
Question: In the fall I experimented with
cuttings taken from my best fuchsias, and now have nice young plants in
a broad communal pot. I wonder when I should replant them into individual
pots of soil mix.
Helen says: Early March is the best time to pot young plants. They should be growing actively
and can be cut back before being potted to induce ample branching and bushiness.
Make the cuts well back on each stem, immediately above a healthy set of
leaves. Use the removed pieces as cuttings for more plants. Don't transplant
into large pots. Depending upon the size of the young plants, a pot five
inches (12.5 cm) wide should do for now. Next month or early in May, transplant
into the baskets or planters where the fuchsias are to bloom during the
summer and early autumn.
Question: What is the best way to take cuttings from young shoots
on fuchsias as they begin growing in the spring?
Helen says: Start with a shoot three to four inches (7.5 to 10 cm)
long. Remove all but the uppermost leaves and re-cut the end immediately
beneath a leaf node. Firm the cutting into a sterile, lightweight soil mix
in a small pot. Water, and arrange a humidity tent of clear plastic over
the pot to keep the cutting bathed in moist air. Hold the plastic above
the cutting with a hoop of wire or sticks stuck into the soil. Root the
cuttings in a warm place in good light but out of direct sun. You can also
root several cuttings arranged around the rim of a broader communal pot
eight or 10 inches (20 or 25 cm) wide. Use a shallow bulb type pot. Keep
the soil just lightly dampened during the rooting period.
|
![[Q & A]](../graf/qa.gif)
Top of Page ![[slugslime]](../graf/logoslime.gif){kind=small}
VISITOR's GUIDE